This evening, Steve Stallmer, the Republican candidate running for the open 113th Assembly District in the state's Upper Hudson Valley region, is holding a fundraiser with Congressman Chris Gibson (R - Kinderhook) at the Saratoga Springs vacation home of Julie Chlopecki and her husband David Fuscus, who both operate the high-profile Washington D.C. lobbying firm
Xenophon Strategies, which previously maintained close ties to former disgraced U.S. Rep. John Sweeney (R - Clifton Park) and notably gained attention during the 2004 presidential campaign when it handled public relations for Admiral William Schachte Jr, who was one of the "Swift Boat" veterans who attacked John Kerry's Vietnam record.
In 2006, Chlopecki, Fuscus and Xenephon Strategies were the subject of a
short diary posting at the blog of 20TrueBlue, which was a progressive activist group that helped to propel the upstart campaign of Kirsten Gillibrand (D) to victory over then-Congressman John Sweeney (R) in the now-defunct 20th Congressional District, which had included much of eastern Upstate New York, including the Upper Hudson Valley region. That year, Chlopecki and Fuscus held a $1,000 per person fundraiser for Congressman Sweeney with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The 20TrueBlue posting on the fundraiser
noted a story from Liz Benjamin in the Albany Times Union's Capitol Confidential blog that year, which highlighted Xenephon's ties to the airline and food industries, which Sweeney had sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to benefit over his tenure in Congress.
"THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2006"
"Another Pay to Play Day for Sweeney"
"Sweeney's having another Payola Fundraiser. This time with Headlining NYC Republican Rudy Gualini at the home of Lobbyist Donors who are also former Bush campaigners, etc. The $1000 per person event is open to us all:"
"You are Cordially Invited to a luncheon honoring Congressman John Sweeney - House Appropriations Committee With Special Guest Mayor Rudy Giuliani Monday, August 21, 2006 Noon to 1:00 PM at the home of Julie Chlopecki and David Fuscus 85 Union Avenue Saratoga Springs, NY"
"Same ole pay to play connections as the TU blog reports, Fuscus and Chlopecki (see their lobbyist bios here) have:"
"...Contributed $1,000 apiece to Sweeney in this election cycle. In addition, at least one of their clients, the National Restaurant Association, has contributed $1,000 to him as well."
"The firms other clients have included: the Air Transport Association, the Capital Region Airport Commission, the Motor Freight Carriers Association, Midwest Airlines, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, the American Frozen Food Institute and the National Food Processors Association."
"The transportation clients are interesting to note. Sweeney is vice chair of the Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee."
"The food clients are interesting, too. Sweeney recently co-sponsored a measure billed as an effort to streamline state and local laws about food. But opponents say it really aims to get rid of laws that mandate a higher standard of safety than the federal government - a boon to certain food companies."
Perhaps it shouldn't come as any surprise to residents of Saratoga and Washington Counties that Stallmer is already courting the support of high-profile Washington D.C. lobbyists for his first run for political office in a fairly obscure Upstate New York legislative seat. Just like Chlopecki and Fuscus, Stallmer, himself, has spent most of his professional career in Washington D.C. working as a lobbyist-political operative, most notably serving a lengthy stint for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) before being appointed Chief of Staff for Congressman Chris Gibson (R - Kinderhook). As I have noted in several diaries throughout the year,
a significant portion of Stallmer's campaign warchest comes from the Washington D.C. area, mostly from lobbyists, lawyers and political operatives with ties to the Republican Party.
Fortunately, this year the Democratic Party has recruited an especially strong home-grown candidate in Carrie Woerner, providing voters with a real choice in a region where it wasn't too long ago that Republican state legislative candidates often ran uncontested or with little opposition. Woerner, a Saratoga County technology businesswoman, ran for the 113th Aseembly Seat two years ago and came within a few points of defeating a long-term entrenched Republican incumbent in an area where enrolled Republicans outnumber enrolled Democrats by nearly 3 to 2. Already, Woerner's campaign has garnered strong support amongst progressive groups both statewide and nationally, including the Women's Campaign Fund and the League of Conservation Voters of New York. With
grassroots and
financial support, we many finally have the opportunity this year to elect the first progressive to represent our region in the New York State Legislature in over a generation.